WHAT'S NEW IN KENTUCKY BOURBON - Bourbon Events, Distillers, Expansions Enhance Guests' Experiences
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WHAT’S NEW IN KENTUCKY BOURBON
Bourbon Events, Distillers, Expansions Enhance Guests’ Experiences
Four Roses unveils new visitor center – Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg opened a new visitor center with a
covered patio and cocktail area in December 2021. The nearly 15,000-square foot building blends in with the existing
Spanish mission-style buildings the distillery in known for, and includes a gift shop, four tasting rooms, a new bar called
“Bar 1888,” and an archive space dedicated to former Four Roses brand ambassador and historian Albert “Al” Young.
https://www.wlky.com/article/four-roses-distillery-opens-new-visitor-center-with-covered-patio-cocktail-area/38455477
New boutique hotel planned for Lexington’s Distillery District – A new upscale boutique hotel, The Manchester,
started construction in late 2021 at 941 Manchester Street in Lexington’s booming Distillery District. The project has an
opening date of spring 2023. The seven-story hotel will feature 125 hotel rooms, four restaurant and bar spaces including
a rooftop bar, an event space, a café and a salon. https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-
county/article256459656.html
New 1920s-inpsired bourbon bar in Louisville – Neat Bourbon Bar and Bottle Shop is a new bourbon bar with a
1920’s-inspired bourbon tasting experience in Louisville on Bardstown Road. The Highlands area bar highlights historic
bourbons while offering vintage spirits to buy, trade and sell. https://www.wlky.com/article/new-bourbon-bar-opens-
louisville-highlands/38772116
Four new distilleries added to Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® – The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® added
four new distilleries in December 2021 – The Bard Distillery in Graham, Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Copper &
Kings Distillery in Louisville and Log Still Distillery in New Haven. This brings the total to 23 distilleries across the state
included in the Craft Tour. https://www.wdrb.com/news/4-new-distilleries-added-to-kentucky-bourbon-
trail/article_564a13ac-52d7-11ec-8856-fb40bb4938e3.html
Hermitage Farm unveils new tasting room – Hermitage Farm in Goshen, located just outside of Louisville, has opened
its Barn 6 as a new bourbon tasting room for visitors. Visitors can attend tastings, cocktail classes and other special
events while enjoying the company of retired thoroughbreds who call the barn home. Visitors can even feed the horses
peppermints while sipping on their high-end bourbon flights. There are two tastings available: the Standard featuring
mainstream bourbons such as Woodford Reserve, Old Forester and Elijah Craig and the VIP Tasting features select
flights of products such as Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel, Barrel Craft Spirits Private Release or Peerless Rye Single
Barrel Select. https://www.wlky.com/article/horses-bourbon-tasting-room-hermitage-farm-kentucky/38869296
Wilderness Trail expanding production – Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville has plans to increase its daily
production of bourbon and rye whiskey by adding six new fermenters. Half of the fermenters, 4,000-gallons each, will be
installed in the original distillery, while the other three 20,000-gallon fermenters will be housed in a newly constructed
ferm-house, with construction to begin in early 2022. https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/wilderness-trail-distillery-to-
expand-bourbon-rye-whiskey-production-capacity-again/
Bourbon-centric hotel project planned for Frankfort – A boutique hotel is planned for the old Simon Warehouse,
located at 106 E. Broadway in the state’s capital city of Frankfort. The four-floor building is set to be transformed into a
bourbon-centric experience with 49 guest rooms, a restaurant-bar and a tasting room. https://www.state-
journal.com/business/broadway-bourbon-themed-hotel-project-gets-arb-approval-2-7-million-state-
incentive/article_709cc6f4-3807-11ec-b17e-13202554e2a5.html
Page 1New hotel planned for NuLu – Bunkhouse is launching a new hotel project in the NuLu neighborhood of Louisville, with
an expected opening date of May 2023. The new-build project will be located at 726 E. Market Street and will feature 122
rooms spread over six floors, a restaurant, mini market and bar. Rabbit Hole Distillery, a neighbor to the unnamed new
hotel, will help develop an art garden to enhance connectivity to the distillery from Market Street.
https://rejournals.com/bunkhouse-unveiling-new-hotel-project-for-nulu-neighborhood-of-louisville/
Black-owned bourbon from Lexington now in stores – Fresh Bourbon owners Sean and Tia Edwards announced in
October 2021 that their bourbon is now available in 100+ stores, bars and restaurants across Kentucky. The bourbon is
currently being made in Paris at Hartfield & Co. Distillery while the black-owned Lexington distillery is being planned and
built, with a potential groundbreaking in early 2022. https://www.kentucky.com/lexgoeat/bourbon/article255171127.html
Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge & Distillery Invitational to be held at Dant Crossing – The Kentucky Bourbon
Festival® will be presenting the Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge & Distillery Invitational June 10-11, 2022, and recently
announced this inaugural event is to be held at Dant Crossing in Nelson County. The ticketed barbecue event will feature
multiple competition formats and family-friendly fun for all ages. https://kybourbontrail.com/bourbon-capital-bbq-challenge-
distillery-invitational-announces-dant-crossing-as-inaugural-venue/
Buffalo Trace has accredited arboretum, launches online tool for visitors – Visitors to Buffalo Trace Distillery in
Frankfort can now more easily explore the distillery’s natural beauty, as it was recently awarded Level II arboretum
accreditation. Fans can learn about the distillery’s diverse collection of plants with a new online tool where users can
search plants by family, genus or location on site. The new online database is available here:
https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-tours/botanical-gardens-tour.html. In spring 2022, visitors will be able to sign up
for a 90-minute tour and tasting to explore the gardens and bourbon. https://www.lanereport.com/149214/2021/11/buffalo-
trace-distillery-awarded-level-ii-accredited-arboretum-status/
Lux Row Distillers planning expansion – Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown recently announced a $4 million expansion
project that will increase its annual capacity by 75 percent. The expected completion date is late 2022. Once the project is
completed, the distillery will be able to operate 24 hours a day and distil more than 50,000 barrels of bourbon per year.
The distillery will be fully operational throughout the construction project, and tours will not be affected.
https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2021/11/lux-row-distillers-plans-4m-expansion/
Castle & Key partners with Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild – Castle & Key Distillery, located between Frankfort and
Lexington, has partnered with the Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild (KBBG) on its latest bourbon release, The Untold Story
of Kentucky Bourbon, Chapter 1. All proceeds from the sale of the bourbon will support the partnership’s newly launched
The Diversity in Kentucky Distilling Scholarship. The distillery plans to release annual ‘chapters’ expressions of the
bourbon, with each sharing another aspect of how African Americans have contributed to bourbon.
https://americanwhiskeymag.com/2021/11/05/castle-key-the-untold-story/
Diageo, Bulleit Bourbon open first carbon-neutral distillery in North America – Global spirits company Diageo,
parent company of Bulleit Bourbon, opened the first carbon-neutral distillery in North America in central Kentucky during
fall 2021. The 72,000-square-foot clean energy facility is located in Lebanon. In order to avoid producing carbon
emissions, the company will distill its alcohol – primarily Bulleit Bourbon – using electrode boilers powered by 100 percent
renewable electricity, including wind and solar. The distillery’s onsite lighting, equipment and electric vehicles will also run
on clean energy. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/diageo-will-use-wind-and-solar-to-make-bulleit-bourbon-at-first-
carbon-neutral-facility-in-north-america-11632847846
Nearly 10.5 million bourbon barrels aging in Kentucky – Bourbon production is booming in Kentucky! According to the
Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA), there are now more than two barrels for each Kentuckian. Kentucky distilleries
produced a record amount of bourbon in 2020, with nearly 10.5 million barrels now aging in warehouses across the state.
https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2021/10/29/record-bourbon-production-creates-largest-stockpile-ever
Horse Soldier Bourbon experience coming to Somerset – In October 2021, Horse Soldier Bourbon broke ground on a
$200 million project to build a bourbon experience in Somerset, Pulaski County. The bourbon project will include a
distillery, visitor center, activity center, amphitheater, high-end hospitality and overnight accommodations with a lodge,
cabins and retail village, a chapel, an outdoor event space, unique dining options and other entertainment spaces. This
American bourbon distillery is unique, as it was founded by members of the first U.S. Army Special Forces unit to enter
Afghanistan following the infamous 9/11 attacks who later became known as “The Horse Soldiers.”
https://www.lanereport.com/148031/2021/10/kentucky-gov-andy-beshear-welcomes-horse-soldier-bourbon/
Page 2New ‘Kitchen Table’ restaurant at newly renovated Distillery – James B. Beam Distilling Company has a new
restaurant, The Kitchen Table, on its newly renovated campus in Clermont. The full-service restaurant features indoor and
outdoor dining where guests can enjoy a meal and cocktail while taking in the distillery grounds, part of the Kentucky
Bourbon Trail®. The restaurant is inspired by the original Beam family kitchen table, a place of storytelling, whiskey
sharing and recipes, and each dish and cocktail will feature locally sourced Kentucky ingredients. Some of the new
specialty cocktails offered include a “Jim Beam Highball,” a Basil Hayden-based “Golden Hour” with Aperol Aperitivo
liqueur and lillet blanc, and a “Smash” featuring Old Grand-Dad, lemon, mint and sugar.
https://www.lanereport.com/148586/2021/10/james-b-beam-distilling-co-opens-new-restaurant-on-the-bourbon-trail/ &
https://www.wlky.com/article/inside-jim-beams-new-restaurant-the-kitchen-table/38440595
James B. Beam Distilling Co. transforms visitor experience – The James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont has
undergone significant renovations to upgrade visitors’ experiences. New visitor experiences include: The American
Outpost, a new visitor and retail center with new white and black farmhouse decor; The Kitchen Table, a 5,000 square
foot restaurant and gathering space championing local farmers; and “Beam Made Bourbon,” an immersive consumer tour
showing how bourbon is made the “Beam Way”. There’s also the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery, a new functional production
facility offering special distillation process sessions with Freddie Noe, 8th generation Beam Distilling, plus hands-on
activities in the blending lab, a tasting bar and state-of-the-art classroom. https://www.lanereport.com/145959/2021/08/jim-
beam-opens-fred-b-noe-distillery-in-clermont/
Old Steel House Distillery experience planned for Bardstown – The historic T.W. Samuels Distillery site is set to be
transformed into Old Steel House Distillery (formerly Old Samuels Distillery), a tourism, restaurant, and lodging
experience just 10 minutes from downtown Bardstown. The project will be completed in phases, with the historic
Restoration Tour currently available, and in the future will offer a multi-faceted experience with a retail gift shop, dozens of
private cottages available to rent, event space, a restaurant, bar and tasting room.
https://www.lanereport.com/129264/2020/08/developer-to-create-old-samuels-distillery-tourism-restaurant-and-lodging-
experience-near-bardstown/ & https://oldsteelhouse.com/visit-us/
Maker’s Mark founding family transforms home into exclusive overnight experience – Experience an intimate piece
of Kentucky bourbon history like an insider at The Samuels House near Bardstown. The 1820s manor was purchased by
eighth-generation whiskey maker Rob Samuels of Maker’s Mark Distillery, who restored the historical home to share his
family’s history with bourbon lovers and for select guests to stay in overnight. The house opened to guests in September.
There are three suites (sleeps up to eight people total), multiple bathrooms and a variety of sitting areas, including a
spacious back porch and patio. The home’s centerpiece is the parlor, featuring a handmade bar displaying 50 bottles of
whiskey spanning 150 years of Samuels family distilling. Special one-of-a-kind experiences are available as add-ons to
overnight accommodations. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2021/08/03/makers-mark-
distillery-opening-samuels-house-to-bourbon-tourists/8024348002/
Stitzel-Weller Distillery opens Garden & Gun Club in Louisville – The historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville has
opened an on-site destination cocktail bar, Garden & Gun Club, inspired by the Garden & Gun Magazine’s hospitality
franchise. The club is open to the public now and no membership is required; it is independent of distillery tours. Located
on the second floor, this unique food and drink experience features a custom-designed bar, bistro tables, banquette
seating and a comfortable lounge area that fits 60 people. https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/historic-
stitzel-weller-distillery-opens-garden-gun-club/
James E. Pepper Distilling Co. building new warehouse – The Lexington-based James E. Pepper Distilling Co.
recently broke ground on a new warehouse in Midway. Following the revival of the historic distillery after a 50-year hiatus,
this new 17,800-square-foot warehouse will be the company’s first. Whiskies the company distills at the Lexington facility
are currently aging in third-party warehouses. https://www.lanereport.com/145863/2021/08/james-e-pepper-distilling-co-
breaks-ground-on-new-warehouse/
Angel’s Envy plans to expand, double guest capacity – Angel’s Envy Distillery in Louisville announced plans for a
$8.2 million expansion doubling its annual guest capacity. The expansion will add more than 13,000 square feet to the
distillery, increase annual guest capacity by 64,000 visitors and create 20 jobs. Plans include an additional bar space, five
new tasting rooms, an event space and full catering kitchen and a designated “Bottle Your Own” experience. Construction
is expected to be complete in spring 2022; the craft distillery will remain open throughout construction.
https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-travel-d8a72d57f953095b1c9fd855f2b03d3a &
https://www.lanereport.com/144179/2021/07/angels-envy-unveils-first-look-at-plans-for-downtown-louisville-expansion/
Page 3Brown-Forman plans to expand distilleries – Brown-Forman is planning a $95 million expansion at its distillery located
near Dixie Highway in the Shively area of Louisville. The expansion will modernize the workspace, double the number of
fermenters, add column still capacity and mash cookers, improve the grain handling and byproducts system as well as on-
site traffic flow, plus create green space for an Old Forester oak tree nursery. The company is also set to expand
Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, doubling its production capacity and adding three copper still pots, constructing
a new building to house the boiler plant, adding fermentation tanks, a grain unloading area, a barrel unloading and
storage area and an employee conference and training center. Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2022;
the distillery will be fully operational throughout. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2021/02/18/brown-forman-
double-capacity-shively-distillery-95-m-project/6799108002/ & https://www.brown-forman.com/woodford-reserve-to-
expand-versailles-distillery-includes-addition-of-three-copper-pot-stills/
Enjoy Bourbon & Bridles tour at Kentucky Derby Museum – Combine two of Kentucky’s treasures: bourbon and
Thoroughbreds, at the Kentucky Derby Museum’s Bourbon and Bridles Experience, currently offered at 2 p.m. on
Mondays and Tuesdays. Learn about the intertwined history of bourbon and horse racing while walking through historic
Churchill Downs, then learn how to make a mint julep at the Derby Cafe Express at the Museum, an official stop on
Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail where guests can get their Urban Bourbon Trail passport stamped. Admission to the
museum is included with the experience. https://www.derbymuseum.org/plan-a-visit/tours/bourbon-and-bridles-experience
Heaven Hill completes visitor expansion, renovations – Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown has undergone extensive,
multi-million-dollar renovations to add on a whole new two-story wing and bring the visitor center to about 30,000 square
feet and three new themed tasting rooms. One room pays homage to Prohibition times and John Fitzgerald, another is
more rustic and designed to invoke thoughts of Elijah Craig, and the third is a new retail area meant to have visitors
feeling like they’ve been invited into the owner’s home. A new wing features a new restaurant - the Five Brothers Bar and
Kitchen, a lounge-type area and a hands-on experience called “You Do Bourbon” where guests will receive product
education before getting to select, fill and label their own bourbon to take home with them. For the first six months,
Heaven Hill will donate $5 per “You Do Bourbon” bottle to Bernheim Forest as a part of a corporate partnership.
https://www.wdrb.com/news/heaven-hill-distillery-prepares-to-open-19-million-immersive-bourbon-
experience/article_bc7b511a-c89c-11eb-b3d2-77293cae906a.html
Historic Kentucky bourbon brand being revived at Camp Nelson site – The historic bourbon brand E.J. Curley & Co.
is being reborn at Camp Nelson in Nicholasville. The brand dates back to the Civil War era and was formerly known as
the Kentucky River Distillery at the Kentucky Palisades after prohibition until the 1960s. The new distillery will be located
at the same site as the original E.J. Curley & Co. operation, which operated in Jessamine County from the late 1860s. A
$5 million investment includes constructing a 22,500-square-foot facility that will offer two Kentucky mash bills. Plans are
in motion for an E.J. Curley & Co. Revival Tour in late 2021, with spirits production and the opening of a tasting room
expected in 2022. https://www.wtvq.com/2021/06/24/new-jessamine-county-distillery-at-camp-nelson-to-create-52-jobs/
Log Still Distillery planning family-friendly destination – Log Still Distillery, a new bourbon distillery located in Nelson
County about 20 minutes south of Bardstown, recently opened its state-of-the-art tasting room, The Homestead Bed &
Breakfast and The Poplar Cottage lodging, an outdoor amphitheater and announced a new $24 million investment. This
investment is for a second phase of its family-friendly Dant Crossing experience for the 300-acre property to include a
20,000-square-foot event venue for weddings and events called The Legacy, train depot, fishing lake, walking trails and a
restaurant and bar. The full-service restaurant, 47 & Poplar, is expected to open in 2022 and is to be led by Chef David
Danielson, who previously served as Churchill Downs’ executive chef. https://apnews.com/article/distillery-operation-
historic-sites-kentucky-90b1506ae1057f27b8063237f83e3148 & https://www.courier-
journal.com/story/life/food/2022/01/20/former-churchill-downs-executive-chef-joins-log-still-distillery-staff/6565016001/
New African American Brough Brothers Distillery in Louisville – Three African American Louisville-born brothers –
Victor, Christian and Bryson Yarbrough – have created a new distillery in Louisville. The Brough Brothers Distillery was
completed in 2020 on Dixie Highway in the Parkhill Neighborhood, and the 2,200-square-foot building is now open to the
public, with tours available by appointment. https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-kentucky-
cd05ac870f45b7893e62248acedfe736
New distillery coming to far western Kentucky – In May 2021, Jackson Purchase Distillery announced plans for a new
$8.76 million distilling operation in Hickman, located in Fulton County, Kentucky along the Mississippi River. The company
will upgrade a long-idled facility and add new land, construct barrel storage and make other upgrades, with the expansion
expected to be completed by April 2022. https://www.lanereport.com/142270/2021/05/startup-jackson-purchase-distillery-
to-create-30-jobs-in-fulton-county/
Page 4New Riff Distilling set to expand – The Newport-Kentucky based New Riff Distilling has plans for a $2 million expansion
that will increase its whiskey production by 50 percent. It will also add 900-square-feet to its distillery space and three
additional fermenters. The expansion will allow the distillery to operate six days a week and produce 12,000 barrels per
year. https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-styles/bourbon/kentuckys-new-riff-distilling-announces-whiskey-production-
expansion/
Southern bourbon bar and restaurant opens in Germantown neighborhood – North of Bourbon, a new bourbon bar
and restaurant, opened in the Germantown area of Louisville on New Year’s Eve 2021. The bar features bourbon barrel
booths and be infused with Deep South culture and cuisine plus New Orleans history. https://www.courier-
journal.com/story/life/food/2021/07/06/louisville-bars-north-of-bourbon-to-open-germantown-neighborhood/7787114002/ &
https://www.wdrb.com/featured-on-instagram/new-germantown-bourbon-bar-and-restaurant-fuses-louisville-new-
orleans/article_8e8eeb4a-6833-11ec-9990-73b4bc0a2f8b.html
The Grady boutique hotel with cocktail bar opens in Louisville – A new 51-room boutique lodging facility located just
steps away from popular Louisville attractions opened in 2021. The Grady Hotel is in a renovated 19th-century history
building in the Market District that originally housed a medicinal bourbon apothecary. Wild Swann, the hotel’s cocktail bar,
opened in June and offers hand-crafted beverages and small plates. The name pays tribute to previous residents of the
building, Swann-Abram Hat Co., an original designer of Kentucky Derby hats, and J.B. Wilder, the owner of the
apothecary and bourbon distillery in the building’s basement. https://www.courier-
journal.com/story/news/local/2021/05/20/51-room-grady-hotel-opens-in-downtown-louisville/5179756001/ &
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/dining/restaurant/2021/06/22/cocktail-bar-and-restaurant-wild-swann-
opens-downtown-louisville/5303747001/
Whiskey Row entertainment venue planned – The six-story W. L. Weller building on Louisville’s historic Whiskey Row
is to be home to an entertainment venue called Number Fifteen, celebrating the history and future of Kentucky, and
named after the Commonwealth being the 15th state to join the union. The venue will offer a combination of the state’s
best musicians, distillers, brewers and chefs and is set to open in 2023. The building was purchased by The Number
Holding Company, LLC and is located at 121 West Main Street in Louisville.
https://www.lanereport.com/142529/2021/06/whiskey-row-building-purchased-by-colorado-based-company/
Whiskey Row adding another hotel – The Cambria Hotel Louisville Downtown-Whiskey Row is expected to open in
early 2022. Slated to have 128 guest rooms and nearly 2,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel will also have two
full-service restaurants, an indoor heated pool and more. https://www.choicehotels.com/kentucky/louisville/cambria-
hotels/ky322
Click HERE for a full list of experiences, tours, classes and events to experience Bourbon in Kentucky.
###
Media Contacts:
Angela Blank
Kentucky Department of Tourism
angelag.blank@ky.gov / 502.892.4001
Updated February 2, 2022
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